A business will not survive without customers – that is a fact. If you try and appeal to everyone you won’t attract anyone. You hear so many marketeers and course creators talk about this until the cows come home. Without identifying who your customer is you can’t write and create content that will attract them. I’m going to show you why identifiying your ideal customer is crucial!
Visualise your dream customer. What image comes to mind? This is the kind of person you’ve created your business for, so why not create marketing that will help you reach that person?
Creating a customer persona is like creating a character for a story, except it is only semi-fictional; it is based on real-life attributes of your business. Outlining your customers, based on the research you’ve done on your business and the relationships you’ve built so far (whether in person or online), helps provide a starting platform for when it comes to marketing your business. If you know the customer you want, you can reach out to them using the right voice via social media, newsletters and more. The more detailed your persona is, the more likely you are to succeed at attracting them, but this may take time as you continue to build and learn from your business.
How to Create an Ideal Customer Persona
IDENTITY
Who are they? Start with the basics and ask yourself what their name is, their age, their location, and their relationship status. Perhaps consider what career they have and what their key personality traits are
LIFE
Look at the bigger picture – what surrounds them? It may be interesting to consider their everyday routine – their hobbies and their home life. In terms of business, it is important to consider how they communicate – are they attracted to personalised messages, such as telephone calls, or do they prefer to use social media? This could hugely affect how you market your business
CHALLENGES
A business exists to provide customers with something that is missing from the market, so it is vital to consider your customer’s challenges in order to provide solutions. Ask yourself what challenges they face. What are their life goals and motivations? How do they feel? Customers often make a buying decision from an emotional response rather than a rational one. What pain points can you solve for them?
Decide who you DON’T want to work with
As great as it is to stay positive about customers, it is also useful to consider who you don’t want as a customer. Since many businesses primarily founded on a passion, and personal values, it is vital that you avoid negative energy, which will prevent your business from moving forward in the way you want it to. Be clear on who you don’t want to work with and focus on catering to the needs of your ideal customer instead.
Creating a customer persona may seem too specific and you’ll find that not every customer will fall under this umbrella, but it means that your content marketing will reflect an idealised and consistent audience. A customer persona is never set in stone, so as your business grows and you learn more about your customers, through web and social analytics and personal relationships, you can check back and update to ensure you are attracting the right customers.
I’d love to hear how you’d describe your ideal customer in the comments below!
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Claire